WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : I"dol
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [OE. idole, F. idole, L. idolum, fr. Gr. Wit, and cf. Eidolon.]
Definition : 1. An image or representation of anything. [Obs.] Do her adore with sacred reverence, As th' idol of her maker's great magnificence. Spenser.

2. An image of a divinity; a representation or symbol of a deity or any other being or thing, made or used as an object of worship; a similitude of a false god. That they should not worship devils, and idols of gold. Rev. ix. 20.

3. That on which the affections are strongly (often excessively) set; an object of passionate devotion; a person or thing greatly loved or adored. The soldier's god and people's idol. Denham.

4. A false notion or conception; a fallacy. Bacon. The idols of preconceived opinion. Coleridge.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913